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I went to my youngest’s soccer game and came home with two 10¢ returnable water bottles and a discarded soccer mom chair that looked to need nothing more than a handful of stitches to repair.
Seriously.
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I spent the afternoon prepping meals from the random food in my refrigerator and pantry. I made:
• Red Thai curry with tofu, broccoli, cabbage and peppers.
• Rice.
• Pinto beans, which I smashed up for refried beans.
• A dozen or so chicken drumsticks, which I marinated in gochuchang, soy sauce, honey and garlic.
• A batch of sweet chili sauce.
The tofu was a couple days past the sell-by date and the veggies all needed a mission, so this was a very frugal endeavor.
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My neighbors put another Bonne Maman jar in their recycling, which was good since I’d just used these two jars for the sweet chili sauce.
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My Japanese iris started blooming today, which is the beginning of a very beautiful couple of weeks. I think I planted just a few of these flowers in 1998 or so and they’ve slowly but surely spread throughout the front garden. There are now so many that I’ve been able to share with neighbors for their gardens.
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I’m not using AI to create insane images of myself.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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We’ve finally hit the time of year that’s warm and sunny enough for evening walks, (aka “walkies”) which is my favorite season. Sometimes my husband accompanies me, sometimes it’s my friend Lise, but it’s often just my lil’ lone self. Yesterday was a Lise day.
Unsurprisingly, walking in the neighborhood often ends with me dragging home a random freebie that’s been set out on the curb. However, I’m no hoarder, so I try to be judicious with what I bring home — only stuff I can use or sell.*
The nearby house that’s undergoing a huge remodel set out this antique footboard and side rails. (They’re the ones who put out our new ceiling light fixture!) Side rails for each bed size are generally interchangeable, so I hope that someone nabs these. Plus the footboard is very pretty.
A different neighbor set out these “DAY LILES FREE For ANYONE,” but I didn’t take any as I already have enough in my garden and my only need is for shade tolerant plants. They must’ve set these out the day before, as it rained during the night and the bags were falling apart.
Not everything I bring home is pretty or “aesthetic,” as evidenced by this pair of 10¢ recyclables. Cha-ching!
I lastly accompanied Lise back to her house and accepted an invitation for a tour of her back garden. She pointed out some “chocolate mint,” and generously dug up a sample for me. I wish this blog had a “scratch-and-sniff” feature, because this plant smells amazing, quite literally like chocolate and mint!
I already have a thriving pot with mint on the back deck, so I’m pretty sure this one can withstand the shady conditions. I’m always excited to add something new to my garden, especially when the price was free-ninety-nine!
Hooray for walkies!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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* Usually.
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I chopped and sautéed a floppy stalk of celery, onions and the last of a bag of carrots to freeze as individual chunks. Trader Joe’s sells their uncooked “mirepoix” mix for $3.49 and I now have a dozen pre-prepped chunks ready for whatever I happen to be cooking. A favor to my future self.
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I sold my vintage bookshelf in under 24 hours for the full asking price of $150 to someone who’s going to use it for her Nancy Drew book collection, which I absolutely love! I even had backup buyers in case she flaked out!
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I had a half bag of edamame in the fridge, which had been there for a couple of weeks and was no longer so tempting. I went ahead and popped out the individual soybeans and added them to last night’s salad. Tasted just fine and my husband and I both survived.
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I planted my free Buy Nothing tomato seedling in the free Buy Nothing planter, which I’d filled with free potting soil.
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I didn’t try to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I finally finished refurbishing the vintage World Book encyclopedia bookshelf that I thrifted last week at the Tillamook, Oregon Goodwill.
I paid $7.99 for this “magazine rack,” even though the finish was in rough condition.
Luckily I have zero fears when it comes to refurbishing furniture, as there was zero chance that I’d make it worse. It was super sturdy, so all I needed to do was to tart up the finish. I already had a small can of walnut stain in the basement, which I dabbed over the areas with damaged finish. I then wiped the whole thing down with Howard’s Restor-a-Finish and their Feed-N-Wax.
Of course that didn’t address the rusted brass foot caps.
So I took some steel wool to the metal feet and painted over them with a gold paint pen, which was a miracle worker. I spent $3.99 on the pen from a locally owned art supply store, which was my only expense in the refinishing process.
A thousand times better!
And here she is in all her refurbished glory! Looking her best and ready for a new owner. I’ve listed her on Facebook Marketplace for $150, which is significantly less than these specific bookshelves sell for on the world wide web.
Edit: Sold!
This was a fun project for just $11.98.
Click HERE to see the blog post where I refurbished this exact same vintage book shelf back in 2013!
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I set an alert on my iCal calendar to see if any library cultural passes were made available on May 1st at the stroke of midnight. I was able to check out two passes for both the Portland Art Museum (normally $25 apiece) and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. (Normally $10 apiece.) These date specific passes won’t gain me admittance until mid-July, but that’s okay. It’s a favor to my future self.
I’d hoped to score theater tickets, but those are only made available “every three months.” Maybe June 1st will be my lucky day? Either way, I’ve set an alert to check at midnight.
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I didn’t leave the house yesterday, unless you count taking out the trash. (Still a bit sick.) However, I did a deep clean of the kitchen and caught up on laundry. There really isn’t anything much more frugal than staying in the house we’re still paying for.
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I brought up another $1 loaf of Franz Organic 24-Grain bread from the freezer this morning. (Currently selling for $7.99 at Safeway!) Just a reminder to Portland folk that the Franz Bakery Outlets sell their day-ish old bread for a buck apiece on the first Saturday of each month!
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I flossed and brushed my teeth using products from Dollar Tree and then washed and conditioned my hair using White Rain brand shampoo and conditioner from Dollar Tree. Nothing wrong with being unabashedly cheap. I’m even thinking I should probably stock up a bit before tariffs hit.
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I’m loaning a library book to a family member as there’s a still a week before it’s due.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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1) I grabbed these three outdoor chairs from a neighbor’s curb. Sure the seats will need replacing, but that’s well within my skill set. I think I’ll actually keep them afterwards as I’ve been wanting to have a small table and chairs for the backyard patio. Now to source a free small outdoor table!
2) I snagged a small bag of Nate’s Oatmeal Cookies from the Too Good to Go app for $5.99. (The retail value was $18.) I didn’t eat any as they were for my daughter, but they smelled really good.
3) I’ll be using this CVS ecoupon for a free 8″ X 10″ print, thanks to Clark Howard.
4) I offered up a hodge-podge of small jars through my Buy Nothing group after a recent cupboard reorganization. I’ve used them for plant propagation in the past, but have more than enough without them. I may end up putting them out in the recycling as only one jar has been claimed so far, but I’d rather they be used than recycled.
5) I enjoyed a frugal dinner of baked potatoes last night. I mixed some of my kale pesto with sour cream, which was A) delicious and B) perfection. I’ll definitely be making that again! No photo as I am A) Still sick with depleted batteries and B) kind of a mess right now.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I keep reading about rising food prices, (and today’s power outages in Western Europe kind of freaked me out) so I thought it might be a good idea to preemptively stock my pantry. Especially shelf stable goods, as a fully stocked freezer doesn’t do diddly squat when there’s no electricity.
Luckily Winco Foods doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo on predatory pricing.
I paid $104.85 for everything here:
Ten-ounce bags of lil’ tomatoes were 98¢ apiece.
Albertson’s (Safeway) sells the same thing for $4.99.
I looked throughout the frozen dessert section, but they didn’t have what I was looking for.
I wasn’t necessarily going to buy them, but I needed to see if these heme forward delicacies had hit the stores yet. I’m thinking they were designed without the benefit of even a single woman’s opinion.
Instead I grabbed a couple tubs of clearance price Easter candy, which was simply regular candy wrapped in pastel packaging.
And not to brag too much, but I also found a penny and a dime near the register. So I guess that brings my total down to $104.74.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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A Wall Street Journal article titled “Your New Lunch Habit is Hurting The Economy” came across my Facebook feed, referring to American workers who pack their own lunches to the detriment to the restaurant industry. This really pissed me off got me thinking, as the central premise places the blame on the consumer, rather than the government decisions that have resulted in people scrambling to stretch their dollars?
The article never once touches on the “why” behind why people are making this change to their daily work day. It also presents the premise that it’s “boring” choice.
“Bethany Kennedy, an attorney near Buffalo, N.Y., says she used to spend $500 a month going out to lunch during the week. Rising costs, including a jump in her property taxes, made her reconsider. Now she limits herself to one lunch out a week—when she’s really craving it. She brings in premade meals such as Southwest salads with corn, beans, cheese and tortilla strips or Stouffer’s three-cheese rigatoni from her local Aldi the rest of the week.
She revels in saving money, but there is a downside, she says: “I’m starting to get bored.”
“I’m not trying to eat this spaghetti three days in a row,” said Valerie Myers, a communications professional in Richmond, Va. She knew that if she brought in last night’s leftovers she’d give up out of boredom, so she alternates them and isn’t eating for lunch what she had the night before.”
I packed my own lunches over the 24 years that I worked as a labor and delivery nurse, as did most of my co-workers. Sure there were nurses who bought from the cafeteria or got takeout, but they were in the minority. Were we “hurting the economy” or practicing personal financial responsibility?
I found a non-subscription free version to read through my library’s website, so click here if you too wish to enjoy this Wall Street Journal article.
So what’s your take, does the American worker owe allegiance to businesses when their personal budgets are tighter than ever?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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I watched a YouTube video from Uniquely Tish about 10 Ways to Save Money on Groceries in 2025 as I’m always looking for fresh ideas. One of her tips was to “root around your freezer” and use what you already have. (My phrasing, not hers.) It’s hardly a “fresh idea” to cook with food you already own, but it got me down to the basement to browse through my freezer.
You may remember that I scored a $1 bag of clearance price zucchini in March, which I shredded and froze in these silicone ice cube trays. I decided it was time to fix myself a couple of zucchini fritters, which couldn’t have been easier as all it took was squeezed out zucchini shreds, an egg, flour, parmesan, salt, pepper; plus onion and garlic powder. The last scrapings from a carton of sour cream completed the dish. Thanks, Tish!
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I’m still sick, but gathered enough energy to tart up my recently thrifted midcentury bookshelf. It took some elbow grease, but I was able to remove the scuffs using Bar Keeper’s Friend and some wood stain wiped over the areas where the original stain had been chipped away. I’ll post a full reveal in a day or two, but suffice it say that it already looks 110% better. I’ll need to buy a new gold paint pen for the rusted brass feet, but my plan is to support a local art supply store for this purchase.
Seriously, the feet are a rusty mess!
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I watched the first two episodes of Étoile through my sister’s Prime Video account and although I loved the dancing, I’m not sure how much I actually like the show. The two main characters are written as angry and scream half their lines, which is a pet peeve of mine. I’ll give it another episode or so as the dancing is sublime, but I might drift away. Good thing I mooch my Amazon access.*
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I’m picking up the above green planter this afternoon from someone in my Buy Nothing group. I needed another flowerpot for one of my free tomato seedlings and this one should accommodate its potential growth.
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Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
Click HERE to follow The Non-Consumer Advocate on Instagram.
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*My sister uses our streaming services, so it’s reciprocal.
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Our toilet started running after flushing, requiring us to stick close to the bathroom after use to ensure that it stopped. I assumed that we needed to replace at least part of the innards, but my husband instead watched a short YouTube video, (like this one) and was able to adjust the “float cup” using nothing more than a screwdriver. However, I’m cringing for our next water bill, as the toilet did run throughout an entire night.
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I’m sick with a cold right now, which means switching from my normal reusable handkerchiefs to rolls of toilet paper as I’m blowing my nose every few minutes. We do have Kleenex, but I save that kind of luxury for house guests. What am I, a Rockefeller?
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I made myself a big green salad using the last of a pack of lettuce, the last tomato from my step-mother, chicken off my Costco rotisserie chicken and a generous sprinkling of Dollar Tree panko bread crumbs. Of course I topped it with my Tea Towel salad dressing!
I cannot speak highly enough about Dollar Tree’s panko bread crumbs, which add the perfect crunch to salads. You just need to to add them at the very last second so they don’t get soggy.
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I picked up a midcentury bookshelf at the Tillamook Goodwill for just $7.99. We have its exact twin at home, although I’ll probably sell this one as I have no need for it. It’s in a bit of rough condition, but it’s sturdy and I fear not the makeover. Fun fact — these shelves came with encyclopedias, which is why there are a lot of them around.
Here’s an old blog post from 2013 where I showed how to bring the gold brass feet back to life. It’s been 12 years and they still look amazing!
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Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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